SAMBALPUR: AS wildfire rages across Odisha, the Sambalpur forest division has submitted a proposal to the State government requesting a ban on stubble burning within 50 metre radius of the jungles.While the wildfire in Simlipal forests is yet to subside, the fire points become frequent in other parts of the State in the last one week. Officials of Sambalpur division said 57 incidents of forest fire have been reported from different places till Monday. Though no major loss has occurred, around 10 hectare of forests have been damaged in the fire so far.
Divisional forest officer (DFO) Sanjeet Kumar said, around 60 per cent of the fire points are due to stubble burning near the forest area. The incidents of fire will decrease remarkably if stubble burning is prohibited completely in areas surrounding the forest. A proposal has been submitted to the State government in this regard.
In the proposal, the division has suggested the government to collect data of owners of private land surrounding the forests and take steps to refrain them from stubble burning. The landowners should also be made aware about ways to prevent fire from spreading.Kumar said forest fire usually takes place during this time of the year. The peak period is from mid March till the end of April. “We are putting in place a slew of measures to prevent wildfire in our forest division,” he informed.
Forest officials said awareness is being created among Vana Suraksha Samiti (VSS) members to report fire. They have also taken a pledge to support the forest department in dousing wildfire. This apart, 75 forest staff including 15 in each of the five ranges have been deployed to fight the fire. A 24x7 control room has started functioning in all the forest ranges under Sambalpur. A mobile van has also been deployed to monitor fire in the forest division.
The DFO said, around 20 per cent forest fire is caused due to deliberate acts of some people. Strong action will be initiated against those found involved in forest fire incidents. While the Forest department has appealed to the civil society, NGOs, PRI members and volunteers to come forward to help in controlling wildfire, it has also announced a reward of `5,000 to people who share information about persons setting the forest on fire intentionally.